A Cold Day in July

It's 60 degrees right now.  Cold and rainy all day... like spring... or fall (take your pick).  Swim practice was cancelled.  The girls all got to sleep in.  

As I was going about my routine chores this morning, I heard those girls, one by one, get up (okay, all except for Lex - we woke her up).  I heard the TV turn on.  I just knew it was going to be one of those get-nothing-done kind of days.  I racked my brain for something to have the girls help me with (I know, it's lame when you have to try to come up with something... anything... to teach the value of work and accomplishment).  I thought briefly about making it a read-your-summer-english-reading-assignment day.  Then I walked into my basement.  Mess everywhere.  I had a growing pile of Goodwill stuff that needed to be recorded (per Bill's request) and neatly readied to donate.  I had things to file laying all over the place.  Unruly scrapbook paper here and there.  Mauri's toys were overtaking the entire basement.  

Aha!  I called the girls down to help.

The excitement on their faces was underwhelming.  But they came.  I asked, and they came.  No groaning.  No loafing.  When I gave Shilo and Lexee the assignment to organize the scrapbook paper, they seemed glad.  GLAD!  Then they recorded each item in the Goodwill pile and packed it up, nice and neat.  Mauri and I tackled the toys, then swept and vacuumed.  (And now we no longer have to wonder if there are mice or spiders lurking under or around the items scattered around the basement.)  It looks awesome, and we have something to show for our cold day in July.

Goodwill stuff.  I plan to drop it off tomorrow before we decide we want some of it back.

Random toys... back in their proper places.

Baby dolls tucked in.  And, FYI, she has double that amount of dolls... I just couldn't get them all in one picture.

(Britta had almost NO interest in baby dolls, Lexee liked them until she was school-aged, then Playmobil took over -- not to mention she was terrified of dolls after seeing a short clip of that Chucky movie and KNEW those dolls moved when she was in bed at night, Shilo played with baby dolls on rare occasions, but preferred the expensive and beautiful American Girl dolls.  Then there's Mauri.  She has played these baby dolls to death.)

Here is how long some of these baby dolls have been around:

That's Mauri.  With the dolls.  For kicks one day, not long after she was born, I dressed her up in those doll clothes and took a picture.  I had no idea she would play with those dolls -- all actually gifts for her sisters from their Grandma Syddall -- for over 9 years.  Possibly longer.

Back to my story.

As the girls were packing away that Goodwill stuff, they ran across a few things they asked to keep.

Like these cute little books.  They wanted to scrapbook.  So all three girls, after being excused from their labors (a good 3 hours of work), ran upstairs and started scrapbooking.  I was so impressed with what they did:

  I only had 2 of the mini scrapbooks, so Shilo kindly let her sisters have them, and made a full-sized page to put in a larger book.

(Yes, Mauri has make-up on in these Glamour Shots... a make-over request granted by her big sis Lex yesterday.  Obviously Mauri was very pleased with the results and proudly wore the make-up ALL day.  Including to Activity Days.)

I'm telling you, those girls are way more creative than I have ever been.  It makes me happy.

Really... no better way to spend a cold day in July.